Unequal reproductive justice under the law
Authors: Isabel Goldman, Kristan van der Vos, Charlotte Owen-Woods, Elisa Panada, Sha Yu, Sara Hamilton
Journal: Cell Reports Medicine (2022)

The US Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade represents an appalling setback for reproductive healthcare and the human right to bodily autonomy. In removing a settled federal protection for an individual to terminate a pregnancy both legally and safely—one that had stood for nearly half a century—the Court jeopardizes the health of countless Americans. By insinuating itself into the private decisions of hundreds of thousands of people and their physicians, the Court erects pointless barriers to the best practices of medicine. This overreach creates a dangerous precedent under which Courts, rather than science and medicine, determine standards of healthcare. The Court’s decision will lead to an increase in unsafe abortions, a leading cause of preventable maternal mortality worldwide. It will delay medical intervention in cases where a pregnant person’s health is at risk. The right for many people to make their own decisions about their pregnancies will disappear. Indeed, many states have already outlawed abortion, and others will follow. The effect of the Court’s decision is clear: people will suffer. And, as always, that suffering will disproportionately visit upon those from historically marginalized communities. The US Supreme Court’s decision has reverberated throughout the world. People in nations unimpacted by US law fear that abortion laws in their countries will see a similar setback.The history of medicine is one of progress. The Court has thrust it backwards. The history of human rights is one of a slow, but steady, advance. The Court shoves us in the wrong direction. Reproductive justice includes the right not to have a child. In deciding to remove a federal right to legal and safe abortion—a ruling that runs counter to public opinion, denies basic bodily rights and defies the best practice of medicine—the US Supreme Court abrogated its ultimate responsibility: to provide equal justice under the law. The US Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade represents an appalling setback for reproductive healthcare and the human right to bodily autonomy. In removing a settled federal protection for an individual to terminate a pregnancy both legally and safely—one that had stood for nearly half a century—the Court jeopardizes the health of countless Americans. By insinuating itself into the private decisions of hundreds of thousands of people and their physicians, the Court erects pointless barriers to the best practices of medicine. This overreach creates a dangerous precedent under which Courts, rather than science and medicine, determine standards of healthcare. The Court’s decision will lead to an increase in unsafe abortions, a leading cause of preventable maternal mortality worldwide. It will delay medical intervention in cases where a pregnant person’s health is at risk. The right for many people to make their own decisions about their pregnancies will disappear. Indeed, many states have already outlawed abortion, and others will follow. The effect of the Court’s decision is clear: people will suffer. And, as always, that suffering will disproportionately visit upon those from historically marginalized communities. The US Supreme Court’s decision has reverberated throughout the world. People in nations unimpacted by US law fear that abortion laws in their countries will see a similar setback. The history of medicine is one of progress. The Court has thrust it backwards. The history of human rights is one of a slow, but steady, advance. The Court shoves us in the wrong direction. Reproductive justice includes the right not to have a child. In deciding to remove a federal right to legal and safe abortion—a ruling that runs counter to public opinion, denies basic bodily rights and defies the best practice of medicine—the US Supreme Court abrogated its ultimate responsibility: to provide equal justice under the law.